PRESS RELEASE
Salvation Army Relief Efforts Ongoing Locally in Myanmar
May 21, 2008 - The Salvation Army in the United States last week launched an appeal to raise money for the long-term response to the disaster in Myanmar caused by tropical cyclone Nargis. Currently, the organization has personnel serving in the country, as it has since 1915, and is responding to immediate needs with food and clean water distribution, among other services. The long-term effort is expected to be a multi-year recovery that will require extensive external aid to help those in need. Donors can support the appeal via the Internet, on the phone or via direct mail.
“We are one of the few agencies that are able to serve people in need almost immediately because we have operations on the ground in the country serving people everyday,” said Major George Hood, national community relations secretary for The Salvation Army in the United States. “We are working to provide additional support from the U.S. and the international community to aid this local effort over the long term because it will be an extraordinarily daunting task. We are praying for all those suffering through this disaster, and we are always grateful for the thousands of donors who open their hearts at times like these.”
The Salvation Army in Yangon, Myanmar, has been providing cooked meals and clean water for those desperately in need. Its Regional Headquarters building was almost totally destroyed; personnel relocated to a recently-built Salvation Army boy’s home, which had also lost part of its roof, water-logging much of its rice storage. The Army immediately cooked and distributed this food to the community before it was lost entirely. The Army was also able to run its generators to pump clean water almost non-stop in the immediate aftermath of the storm.
The Salvation Army 45 evangelical worship centers in Myanmar, in addition to three children homes, a primary school plus health and community education programs.
Click below to make an online donation. Indicate that you would like your donation to assist the survivors of the Myanmar cyclone.
Checks earmarked “Myanmar Cyclone,” can be sent to
The Salvation Army International Disaster Relief Fund
PO Box 630728
Baltimore, MD 21263-0728
To volunteer with The Salvation Army or to make a credit card donation, call 651-746-3400 or 1-800-SAL-ARMY.
